Runhappy Travers Day Highlights Wild Saratoga Weekend

If you love summer fun, well then Saratoga is certainly the place to be. When you want to live a Saratoga weekend to the fullest, well this is the weekend for you! This weekend the SPA City will feature a dozen of the world's best horse racing stakes races Saratoga Race Course, while SPAC will feature two legendary rock bands, or versions thereof, with Dead & Co. Friday night and Lynard Skynard on Saturday night. It will be fun!

Friday is a terrific day at the Saratoga Race Course as it is New York Showcase Day and features six state-bred stakes races. They are headlined by the $250,000 Albany Stakes, the $200,000 Fleet Indian Stakes for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles; the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes, presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, for 2-year-olds sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track; the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs; the $150,000 West Point Stakes, presented by Trustco Bank, for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf; and the $150,000 Yaddo, a handicap for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course.

After a great day at the track, you can head over to SPAC for Dead & Co. featuring Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Billy Kreutzmann playing with pop-icon John Mayer. It is a sold out show. Tune into our Rock Station Q 105.7 FM with Mike Karolyi and Steve King. Call in and bug them to give away some tickets. It is certainly where I will be heading tomorrow after the races!

If you are a horse racing fan, then Saturday at Saratoga Race Course is your day! According to NYRA

Runhappy Travers Day: Led by Belmont Stakes and Jim Dandy winner Essential Quality, the nation’s top 3-year-olds will meet at the Spa for the marquee race of the summer season – the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers. The 152nd edition of the race is sponsored by Runhappy, a champion sprinter currently standing at Claiborne Farm.

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Gates open at 7 a.m. with first post time of 11:35 a.m. Breakfast and tram tours are not offered on Runhappy Travers Day.

The Runhappy Travers is the centerpiece of a card featuring seven stakes and six Grade 1s, offering $4.6 million in total purse money, including the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Sword Dancer; Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign presented by Lia Infiniti; Grade 1, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina; Grade 1, $600,000 Forego; and Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial. Rounding out the blockbuster card is the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa.

For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX Sports will air 6.5 hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1.

After a 13 race card on Saturday, you will be ready to let your Free Bird go with a fantastic night of old favorites to rock your southern soul with Lynard Skynard and their Big Wheels Keep On Turnin' Tour. They are scheduled to take the stage at SPAC after the Allman Betts Band and Blackberry Smoke. The show is scheduled to start at 6:45pm.

Sunday is a good recovery day at Saratoga Race Course. Better Talk Now is the day’s feature. The $120,000 Better Talk Now for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf. You can also enjoy Brunch at The Rail at the 1863 Club: Fans are invited to enjoy a brunch buffet while experiencing The Rail at the 1863 Club, the first-floor banquet space at the 1863 Club. Tickets are $85 and include the buffet, soft drinks and Post Parade program book. Reservations are available by calling the NYRA Box Office at 844-NYRA-TIX or online at NYRA.com/1863Club.

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You should probably do something with the kids after a weekend of partying. Berkshire Bank Family Sundays: The popular kid-oriented weekly event will feature a wide variety of free family-friendly activities, games, attractions and educational activities each Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Berkshire Bank Family Zone, located inside Gate A near the Saratoga Race Course Box Office.

Enjoy a cool weekend in Saratoga and good luck at the races!